Alibaba International Station: Overseas online demand increased by 33% year-on-year in the first half of the year

In the first half of 2023 , overseas online demand on Alibaba International Station increased by 33 % year-on-year .

Recently, Alibaba International Station released a half-year digital foreign trade report, showing that digitalization has become the biggest trend in various export industries and foreign trade markets. It is reported that in the first half of the year, 90 % of Alibaba International Station's industries saw rapid growth in online exports, and 91 % of overseas markets saw an increase in online traffic. Not only did emerging markets such as Southeast Asia continue to grow rapidly, but traditional foreign trade markets such as Europe and the United States also returned to the growth track.

(Photo: Alibaba International Station Digital Foreign Trade Semi-annual Report)

Qin Fen, head of industry and merchant business at Alibaba International Station, analyzed that with the promotion of new technologies, overseas companies' purchasing habits are rapidly shifting online. "Digital foreign trade has become an inevitable option and an irreversible trend in global trade."

At the same time , in the 2023 Digital Foreign Trade Semi-annual Report, Alibaba International Station also predicted the eight hot-selling products of the September Procurement Festival, the largest foreign trade peak season in the second half of the year. In addition to the "new three things" such as new energy and electric vehicles, there are also flexible customized printers, laser cutting machines, excavators and other mechanical equipment with higher high-tech content that are or are about to enter a high-growth cycle.

In fact, according to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, China's cross-border e-commerce exports increased by 19.9 % ​​year-on-year in the first half of this year , continuing to lead the overall growth rate of foreign trade exports, becoming an important boost to stabilizing the scale and optimizing the structure of foreign trade. On the B2B digital foreign trade platform driven by new technologies , new foreign trade hot products are also continuing to emerge.

In particular, online exports of automobiles have become a new highlight. Data from Alibaba International Station shows that online demand for new energy vehicles has increased by 5 times year-on-year , and demand for golf carts has also increased by 257% . In addition, the recovery in demand for overseas infrastructure, home renovation and outdoor sports has also led to a rapid increase in demand for machinery and equipment, home improvement materials, clothing, consumer electronics, and sports and entertainment.

(Photo: Alibaba International Station predicts eight hot-selling products during the September Purchasing Festival, the second half of the year’s biggest foreign trade peak season)

At the same time, Qin Fen, head of industry and merchant business at Alibaba International Station, believes that the keywords that consumers will be most interested in in the second half of the year will be: "beauty", "health", "simplicity" and "refinedness" based on observations of the US retail market and platform insights.

For example, in the clothing industry, consumers prefer products with designs, comfortable fabrics and that better reflect their own temperament. It is expected that retro and personalized men's clothing will be hot-selling in the second half of the year, and clothing with fashion elements will also be more popular in the market.

There was a hot demand for outdoor pet travel in the first half of the year. Qin Fen predicts that in the second half of this year, the demand for pet supplies will evolve to "intelligent, environmentally friendly, beautiful, and multifunctional". Consumers hope to be able to "hands-off" pets, and pet boxes, smart pet feeding machines, etc. will become popular products in the second half of the year.

In addition, smart appliances, smart wearables and products related to healthy living will also sell well, such as smart watches, fast charging chargers, hair dryers, fruit and vegetable blenders, etc.

In the non-consumer goods sector, "innovation" and "energy conservation and environmental protection" are the keywords for the second half of the year. Trucks and excavators will continue to be popular products, electric vehicles, auto parts and accessories will continue to sell well, and new energy-related products will focus more on providing solutions for consumers.

Alibaba International Station

overseas

Online demand